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The Guardian - AU
The Guardian - AU
National
Joe Hinchliffe

Great Seal heist: Queen Victoria’s gift to Norfolk Islanders stolen, with rebellious motives suspected

The Great Seal of Norfolk Island which was made in 1856 by Royal Engraver Benjamin Wyon when Queen Victoria made Norfolk Island a separate settlement. It was stolen on 26 August 2022.
The Great Seal of Norfolk Island, made in 1856 by royal engraver Benjamin Wyon when Queen Victoria made Norfolk Island a separate settlement Photograph: supplied

When museum staff opened a supposedly secured container holding one of their most treasured items last Friday afternoon, they discovered the Great Seal of Norfolk Island had been stolen.

The brazen theft of an artefact symbolising Norfolk Island’s identity may have sparked a locked-room mystery in the South Pacific, but it has also exposed the struggle for the soul of a most storied island.

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